Method and apparatus for inserting draft elements in cigars



Julie 3,1941., S.CLAUSEN 2,244,142

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING DRAFT ELEMENTS IN CIGARS Filed June24, 1937 e Sheets-Sheet 1 f I i 7/ 4| 1M +221 li fw i LQY g z INVENTORSigurd CZau/sen, BY

ATTORNEY June 3,1941. 's Us EN 2,244,142

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IN SERTING DRAFT ELEMENTS IN CIGARS FiledJune24, 195'? 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 St'gurd Claiosen ATTORNEY.

INVENTQR.

June 3, 1941. s. CLAUSEN 2,244,142

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR" INSERI'ING'DRAFT ELEMENTS IN CIGARS Filed June34) 1957 e Shee' tS-Shet 5' Mmm i 1 n w u &@ ma w T m& m u a w @m J m mIf C I Mi June 3, 1941. 's CLAUS'EN I METHOD AND APPARATUS FORINS'ERTING DRAFT ELEMENTS IN CIGARS Filed June 24, 1957 GSheets-Sheet 4ma Wm.

wt g 4w INVENTOR Stgqrd Gaza/sen ATTORNEY June 3, 1941.

s. CLAUSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING DRAFT ELEMENTS IN CIGARSFiled June 24, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Sigurd Clause, 7

ATTORNEY S. CLAUSEN June 3, 1941.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING DRAFT ELEMENTS IN CIGARS 6Sheets-Shet 6 Filed June 24, 1957 lNVENTOR n e s w a 1. C m u g p S ATTOR N EY Patented June 3, 1941 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INSERTING DRAFTELEMENTS IN CIGARS Sigurd Clausen, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor toInternational Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of New JerseyApplication June 24, 1937, Serial No. 150,074

51 Claims.

This invention relates to cigar making machines and has for an object toprovide a mechanism coordinated with a cigar machine for inserting adraft element, such as a tube into the head of the cigar to makeunnecessary the cutting or perforating of the head by the smoker.

A further object of the invention resides in provisions forautomatically projecting a piercing element through a tube, thenprojecting the tube and piercing element into the cigar head, and thenwithdrawing the piercing element, all of such operations being in timedrelation with the feed of cigars from the cigar machine. The inventionalso comprises rerolling and knurling means coordinated with the tubeinserting and piercing means.

Animportant feature of the invention comprises inserting a tube into acigar head and knurling said head after said tube has been inserted. Theinvention in this connection includes, more specifically, means forknurling said head during the withdrawal of a piercing elementpreviously passed into said head with the tube.

In carrying a specific embodiment of my invention into effect, I haveillustrated a rerolling and knurling mechanism of the usual type incombination with the cigar forming machine, and operatively combinedwith such rerolling and knurling mechanism I provide a second knurlingdevice combined with a head piercing and tube inserting mechanism,including tube feeding and actuating means operating automatically andin timed relation with the cigar forming and rerolling mechanism.

Another feature of the invention comprises tube supply means, means forejecting tubes therefrom, and means for feeding the ejected tubes toposition for insertion into the cigar head. In this connection theinvention further includes means for insuring the feed of tubes toprovide a tube for each cigar. It also includes locking means undercontrol of the tube feeding means for at times suspending operation ofthe ejecting means at the supply source to insure against an oversupplyof tubes.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the rerolling, knurling, tubeinserting and re-knurling mechanism and tube feeding mechanism adaptedfor application to a cigar forming machine.

- 1 tion of the cylinder.

Fig. 2 is a top planview of the apparatus.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the tube feeding hopper and cooperatingmechanism taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figs. 3A and 3B are views of details.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the hopper feed.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 5--5 of Figure 2 showing there-rolling and knurling mechanism.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged elevation and partial section of part of there-knurling, head piercing and tube inserting mechanism showingtheposition of the parts before a cigar enters the knurling tool.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view showing an advanced step in thepiercing and tube feeding operation.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of the parts.

shown in Figure 6 with the cigar head inserted in the knurling tool andthe piercing tool advanced for piercing and feeding a tube into thecigar head.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view showing the piercing tool and tip tubefully inserted in the head end of a cigar.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail view similar to Figure 9 with the piercingtool in a retracted position leaving the tube in the inserted positionin the cigar head, and

Fig. 11 is a view of a cigar head and head tube in section illustratingthe finished product of the machine.

Fig. 12 is a vertical sectional detail View of a modification comprisingmeans combined with the first knurler for piercing the cigar head as apreliminary to insertion of the tube at the second knurler.

Fig. 13 is a view in rear elevation of the construction shown in Figure12.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 5,there is illustrated a re-rolling mechanism comprising rolling cylinderl, apron 2, oscillating pinion 3 and rack reciprocated by a cam (notshown) which is actuated by or in conjunction with the mechanism of thecigar making machine to which the mechanism shown in Figure 1 isdesigned to be attached and operatively connected therewith forcontinuous automatic operation.

A formed cigar 5 is fed from the forming machine to the apron 2 anddropped onto the apron as seen in Figure 2 for re-rolling between theapron and cylinder by the oscillating rotary mo- I'he apron at theentrance end has a rectangular cut-out as seen in Figure 2 to affordclearance for the fingers of the feed mechanism (not shown) which conveythe formed cigar from the forming machine. At the lower or exit end theapron is extended as seen at 2 Figures 1 and 5, and which extension hasbrackets 2 by means of which the apron is pivoted on a rod 6, Figure 5,secured in a bracket 1 mounted on frame member 8. Underneath the forwardend of the apron is a bracket 9 in which a tubular adjusting screw Iiiis threaded, and seated in the screw is a coiled spring upon which thestiffening rib I I of the apron rests and whereby the apron due to itspivotal support is caused V to press the cigar against the cylinder Iduring the re-rolling operation. The timing of the oscillating rotarymovement of cylinder I by its actuating cam is such that upon deliveryof a cigar at the upper outwardly flared end of the apron the cylinderwill roll the cigar downward beginning at the point shown in Figure 5,and then back and forth and finally a longer roll toward the exit endwill free the cigar and permit it to roll down the apron and onto a pairof curved fingers I2 formed at the end of arms I3 fixed on stub shaftIt. This shaft is journalled in bearings I5 formed at the end of arm I6projecting from hub I6 which is adjustably fixed on rod 6. On shaft I4between bearings I5 a lever I! is mounted in fixed position and sleevedon the shaft between this lever and one of the bearings is a torsionpring I3, one end of which engages with the bearing frame and the otherend engages the lever or the stop arm I9, Figure 5, formed integrallywith the lever. The purpose of spring I8 is to raise arms I3 carryingfingers I2 to the position shown in Figure 5. Stop arm III has anadjusting screw which bears against arm I6 to adjust and limit theupward movement of fingers I2 to properly center the cigar carriedthereby relative to the knurling tool. Lever I'I projects into the pathof a pin on plate 2| secured to rack bar 4, Figure 5, so that as therack reciprocates, lever I'I will alternately rise and fall due to thelift imparted by plate and pin 2| and return movement by spring I8,thereby imparting a rocking movement to shaft I4 in timed relation tothe feed of cigars from the re-rolling apron 2, and therebyreciprocating fingers I 2 to move first into the position of Figure 5 tocatch a cigar for the first knurling operation, remain stationary duringthe knurling, then retract beneath the apron to allow the cigar to rolldowntoward the second knurling position, and then move upward again intothe position of Figure 5.

The cigar is held in the first knurling position on fingers I2 by a widegripper 22 carried by arm 23 which is fixed on rock-shaft 24journalledin bearing 25 formed on arm 26 projecting from hub I6. Shaft24 is rocked by means hereim after described to oscillate the gripperin'unison with the oscillations of fingers I2 to close'upon a cigar andhold same upon fingers I2 against rotation when acted upon by theknurling tool 21, Figure 2, and to open and release the'cigar fortransfer to the second knurling position. The apron '2 is cut away atthe sides to provide clearance for fingers I2 to pass up into the pathof a cigar as shown in Figures 1 and 5, but in Figure 1 only one of thefingers I2 is seen, the second fin-' ger being obscured by the gripper22 and its arm 23. As seen in Figure 5, the apron, where it passes underthe first knurling position, is given a downward curve to allow thecigar to roll off the apron and onto the fingers I2. The clearances atthe sides of the apron are continued downward to afford clearance for apair of skids 28 which are adjustably secured on a bracket 25 to receivethe cigar when released by fingers I2 and gripper 22. The skids are fiatmetal strips bent at an angle to fit over the front of bracket 29, wherethey are adjustably secured by crossslots and bolts as shown inFigure 1. From the bracket plate the skids project upward at a slightangle and then curve upward as shown at 3!] to form fixed grippingsurfaces for a cigar at the second knurling and tube inserting position.From the curved section 38 the skids extend in a straight line with aslight downward incline to a point approximately under the axial centerof the first knurling position as seen in Figure 5. Cooperating with theskids are a pair of reciprocating push rods 3| which are positionedbeneath the apron 2 and project through the plane of the apron at theside clearances to a point in advance of fingers I2 where the enlargedends'of thepush rods rest on the skids and upon which they are adaptedto slide. When fingers I2 and gripper 22 separate to release a cigar,the rockshaft It is turned counterclockwise by lever I! to a degreesuficient to swing fingers I2 below the apron, thereby depositing thecigar on the apron whereupon it rolls down the apron and onto the skidsections 32. The cigar comes to rest at the angle formed at the pointwhere the skids pass through the plane of apron 2, that is, slightly inadvance of the enlarged ends 34 of the. pushrods iii. A hinged fender 33insures the return to said point, of cigars rolling up the slightincline ofv the skid sections 32. When the push rods are moved forwardthe ends 34 engage the cigar and push it forward on the skids againstthe fender 33 causing it to swing forward to allow the cigar to rollover the curved edge and into the gripping sections 3E3 where it iscaught by gripper 35 to be held thereby in axial alignment with thesecond knurling tool 36. Gripper 35 is carried by arm 3'! having a hubkeyed to rockshaft 38 which is journalled, in bearing. 39 mountedparallel with bearing 25 on the arm 25. Rockshafts 24 and 38 havepinions ti! and 4| constant-i ly in mesh so that wheneither shaft isturned the other will turn in the opposite direction. To accomplish thismovement either of the rockshafts 24 or 38 may be actuated, and in thepresent arrangement, as best seen in Figure 5, shaft 33 is the actuatedshaft. For this purpose shaft 38 is provided with lever 42 having a hubkeyed on the shaft, and which lever is, pivotally connected withpull-rod 43. When rod 43 is pulled to the right as viewed in Figure 5,lever 42 will turn rock-shaft 38 clockwise and through the engagement ofpinions II and 40 turn rock shaft 2! counterclockwise. This rotarymovement actuates arms 31 and 23 and moves grippers 35 and 22 out oftheir gripping positions. Sleeved on rock-shafts 38 between bearing 39and the hub of lever 42 is a torsion spring 46, Figure 2, having itsends hooked into bearing 39 and the hub of lever 42, whereby when thelever is pulled by rod t3 the sprin is placed under increased tension sothat when the pull on rod 43 ceases the spring will turn shaft 38 in theopposite direction, and this movement will be transmitted to shaft 24through pinions II-60 and thereby move arms 31 and 23 toward each otherand grippers 35 and 22 into gripping position. To'aid in this returnmovement shaft 24 is provided with a lever 45 to which extension spring46 is at-' tached, the other end of the spring being attaohed to asuitable frame member as seen in Figure 1. When a cigar receives thefinal operation at the second knurling position and is released bygripper it rolls off the skids 28 onto tray 51.

The two knurling tools 2'. and 38 are mounted on grooved hubs 48 and 49respectively. Hub 48 has two grooved driving pulleys 50 and 5!, theformer being driven continuously by belt 52, and the latter of smallerdiameter driving belt 53 which drives the larger grooved pulley 54 onhub 49. By this means the two knurlers are driven in unison, forsuccessive operation upon the same cigar, and the second knurler 36being driven at a slower speed for the finishing operation. Bothknurlers are given a longitudinal movement to move them into and out ofknurling position by rollers riding in the grooves in hubs 48 and 49,and these rollers are carried by arms 55 and 56, Figure 2, projectingfrom sleeve 51 journalled on a stub-shaft (not shown) and which sleeveis oscillated by the usual link and cam lever as employed in the usualknurl operating mechanism. The latter, in order to avoid complicatingthe drawings, is omitted. As usual the linkage which efiects thereciprocation of the knurling tool also connects with the cutter 58,Figure 1, for moving the cutter laterally into position for clipping thetuck end of the cigar during. the first knurling operation. A plate orfender 59 serves to back up the cigar in the second knurling positionwhen said cigar is pressed against said plate by the re-knurler. Plate55 is inclined at a slight outward angle,

as shown in Figure 1, to avoid interference with 9 cigars which might beslightly off center during the passage to the re-knurler and forenablingsuch cigars to move endwise into the correct position forengagement by the knurling tool and before the gripper 35 grips thecigar.

In Figures 6 to 10 the tube inserting mechanism is shown in detail. Theknurling tool 36 has a tubular shank 69 which passes through the axialcenter of hub 49 and is fixed therein by a set screw as shown in sectionin Figure 6. Hub 59 is enlarged and grooved to form pulley 54, and thepulley is recessed to receive a ball bearing ti which is sleeved onflanged arbor R2 and retained thereon by ring 63 secured to the pulleyhub by screws. The arbor is formed at the end of a slide 554 whichslides in a slot formed between the inner side of bar 65 and retainingblock 66. 1e slide 66 has a longitudinal slot on its upper side inalignment with tubular shank 6i and in this slot a long tube 68 isfitted to slide through the bore of arbor 52 and through the length ofthe tubular shank 6B of the knurling tool 36 while the knurling toolrotates. Tube 68 is attached to a block 69, Figures 2 and 3, and whichblock is bolted to a slide Til having retaining flanges working in slotson the upper and lower faces of bar 55 whereby tube 58 is reciprocatedwithin slide 5 independently of the reciprocation of the slide andknurling tool. Sliding within the tube 68 a piercing needle H which isattached to a block 12 bolted to slide 13 having retaining flanges alsoworking in the slots in bar 65, and capable of sliding on the barindependently of slide "H3 so that needle H may be reciprocated withinthe tube 68 independently of the reciprocation of the tube. Slides l0and T3 are actuated by link 7 and lever I5 which passes down through aslot in tray 4'! and is pivoted to a frame member of the machine.

Also pivoted on the machine frame is a lever 19 directly in line withlever 15 and connected thereto by adjustable link 88 so that levers T5and 79 will swing on their pivots with a parallel motion. Projectingdownward from hub 78 of lever 19 is a cam lever 8| having a roller 82working in the cam groove of disk 83 secured to shaft 84 which is drivenfrom the main drive of the cigar forming machine. Cam 83 rotatescontinuously to impart oscillating motion to lever 8| and through lever19 oscillating motion to lever 75. Link 14 has a wide slot as best seenin Figures 9 and 10 through which pin 85 projects from slide H1 wherebyduring part of the movement of slide '13 in either direction slide 18will be carried along by the same movement of lever 15, the purpose ofwhich will hereinafter be referred to. The swing of lever 15 movesslides if! and 73 from the full retracted position of Figure 2 to theposition of Figure 9 which indicates the limit of the forward stroke,and during the movement from the position of Figure 2 slide it is firstmoved forward without moving slide It until pin 35 strikes end 86 of theslot in link it whereupon both slides move in unison to the end of theforward stroke at which point the relative positions of the slides andlink will be as indicated in r'gure 9. Upon the return stroke of leverl5, link 74 will move slide 13 away from slide 70 as shown in Figure 10until pin es engages end 87 of the slot whereupon both slides will movein unison to the relative position indicated in Figure 2.

In the block 66 which is secured upon the wide flange of bar 55 as shownin Figure 3, is a slot 56 (Figs. 3a and 3b) which extends under andbeyond the discharge outlet for paper tubes 9 from hopper 95. Working inthis slot is a push rod 88, Figures 1, 2, and 3, adjustably secured inclamp 89 attached to a block which slides: on rod 9| carried by twoblocks secured upon frame plate s2, one of which, block 93, being shownin Figure 1, and the other being located at a point beneath bar 65. Thepurpose of push rod 88 is to advance the paper tubes 94 through the slotas they are discharged from the hopper into the slot. The paper tubeslot in block 66 is partly covered by plate 96 upon which the frame 91of the tube gate and ejector is mounted and secured to block 56. Fromthe base of frame 9? to the metal plate 58, Figures 1 and 6, the slot iscovered by a transparent plate 99 so that the feed of paper tubes may bereadily observed. The paper tube feed slot and the needle and feed tubeslot are of the same depth and their bottoms are in the same horizontalplane, and from the edge 98* of plate 98 to shoulder 66 see Figure 6,the block 66 is recessed to the depth of the tube slot, that is, a depthequal to the diameter of tubes 94 to permit transfer of tubes from thefeed slot to the needle and feed tube slot, and for the purpose ofpermitting the transfer the wall of slide 64 is cut away between thepoints 54* and 54 as more clearly seen in Figure 6. Plate 98 is made ofspring metal and has an L-shaped extension to form blade I00. This bladeis given a slight downward bend so as to contact the paper tubes withlight pressure, and to insure that the tubes are held properly in thepath of push blade NH. Slicing crosswise on block 56 under the blade IGil is the push blade In! which is moved back to the edge of block 66 asseen in Figure 8 to permit a tube 94 to be fed under blade I39, and whenblade lfil is moved forward it engages the length of the tube and pushesit across the block t6 and.

through the gap in slide 54 into the needle and feed tube slot. Thismovement of blade HM and paper tube 94 places a tube 94 in alignmentwith feed tube 68 and needle 'II as seen in Figure 6 so that as theneedle and tube are moved forward by the movement of slides I3 and "Itas above explained, the needle will enter and pass through the papertube 94 and the feed tube 63 following up will engage the paper tube(see position indicated in Fig. 7) and push it forward fromunder'retaining blade I and through the bore of arbor 02 and into thetubular shank 60 of the knurling tool 36, see Figure 8. It will be notedthat the movements of the needle and feed tube are such that when thetwo slides 13 and I0 begin moving together the relative positions of theneedle, paper tube and feed tube will be as indicated in Figure '7. Thatis, the needle will protrude beyond the end of paper tube 94 and allthree will move together to the posi tion of Figure 8. This brings theneedle in position to pierce the head of the cigar as lever I continuesthe forward movement of slides I3 and I0. As the movement continues theneedle point enters the cigar head and the paper tube 94 follows intothe perforation until feed tube 03 reaches the cigar head, that is, whenthe paper tube is fully inserted in the cigar as indicated in Figure 9.This position indicates the limit of the forward movement of lever 75,link '14, slides 13 and "I0, needle 1| and feed tube 63. Lever 15 nowstarts on its return movement due to the continuous rotation of cam disk83, and the first step is the movement of slide I3 away from slide IE!to the position indicated in Figure which movement withdraws the needlefrom the paper tube 94, except its pointed end, while the feed tubestill abuts the paper tube holding it in position within the cigar head,and the filler tobacco due to the action of the knurler will be compressed about the tube. The continued movement of lever I5 now movesboth slides 10 and I3 in the return movement withdrawing the point ofthe needle from the inserted paper tube 94 and feed tube I58 fromcontact therewith, and both the needle and feed tube will move togetherat the same rate and are returned to the position of Figure 6 to permitthe next paper tube to be fed into position by push blade IOI theinstant the needle and tube 68 arrive at the position of Figure 6.During this entire operation the pulley 54 and knurler 30 are incontinuous rotation. The re-knurling operation thus takes placesimultaneously with the insertion of the needle II and paper tube 94,and continues throughout the withdrawal of the needle from the cigar;the knurler 36 being projected into engagement with the cigar head(Figure 8) prior to entry of the needle into said head, and said knurlerremaining in engagement with said head until after the needle iswithdrawn.

The hopper for paper tubes 94 is circular in form and has a fiat bottomset at an angle and mounted rigidly on frame plate 02. The purpose insetting the hopper bottom at an angle is to cause the small paper tubesto gather at the lower angle. Bottom member I02 of the hopper may besolid as shown in section in Figure 3, or of any other form, but thecircumferential edge must be continuous and of suflicient width toprevent tubes 94 dropping through (except for the tube passing notch ordischarge slot I05 hereinafter mentioned). Seated on bottom member I02is a rotating bottom or collector plate I03 having spaced notches I04 onits periphery and of a length to freely admit the paper tubes. As thebottom rotates the tubes are tumbled about in the lower angle of thehopper and as the tubes level off on plate I03 they move toward thehopper drum 95 and assume positions tangential to plate I03 andeventually drop into the notches or pockets I04 and rest on the rim ofbottom member I02. The rotating plate I03 at its periphery is of athickness sufficient to form pockets at the notches of a depthapproximately equal to the diameter of the tubes, so that, once thetubes are caught by the pockets they will be retained therein and becarried around to the upper section of the hopper to the discharge slotI05 in the rim of bottom member I02, Figur 3. Through this slot thetubes drop successively onto the gate I06 which projects through a slitin the wall of hopper 95 and into the slot I05. The gate is looselyhinged at the top of frame 91 so that its weight will tend to maintainit in the closed position. At approx-' imately its mid-section the gatehas a slight outward bend as indicated at I0 5 to form a cam surfacewhich is engaged by pin I01 on the ejector plate I08 sliding in frame 91and of a Width and thickness to freely enter slot I05. At the top ofejector plate I08 are a pair of knuckles I09 (Fig. 3) between which ishinged a link H0 which is pivotally connected to lever II I clamped onrockshaft H2. As the lever III oscillates downward from the positionshown in Figure 3 it draws the ejector plate I08 downward, and thismovement causes pin I01 to swing the gate I06 out of the path of papertube 94 in the discharge slot I05 and the ejector continues downwardinto slot I05 to eject the tube 94 therefrom and insure its deposit inthe tube slot 66' in block 68 to be engaged by push rod 88 as abovedescribed. The plate 96, on which the frame 91 is mounted, is cut awayas shown in Figures 3 and 3A, to permit the tube to pass from dischargeslot I05 with the feed slot 05. It may also be noted that the edge ofslot 66 opposite the discharge slot I05 is preferably cut away, as shownat 66", so that it is inclined and aligned with the lower wall of saidslot I05, thereby facilitating the ejection of the tubes. On the upwardoscillation of lever III the ejector is returned to the position ofFigure 3 allowing the gate to fall back to its trapping position tocatch the next tube 04, which enters the discharge slot I05. In theoperation of this apparatus the feed of tubes 94 to the discharge slotI05 may be irregular, that is, pockets I04 may miss catching a tube andthis contingency is taken care of by the timing of the feed mechanism ashereinafter described.

The rotating bottom or collector plate of the hopper is secured to anarbor H3 journalled in bearings in the hopper bottom member I02 and frammember 92, Figure 3, and fixed on the arbor is a ratchet wheel IM, andsleeved on the arbor is a lever II5 from an end of which projects arm H6to which is pivoted ratchet dog In. Oscillating motion is imparted tolever II5 to move ratchet dog II'I one notch at each oscillation forintermittent rotation of the collector plate I03.

The movements of the grippers 22 and 35, cigar push-rods SI, paper tubepush-rod 88, tube transfer blade IIlI, ejector I08, and ratchet leverH5, are all controlled by cam shaft H8 journalled in bearings H9, one ofwhich is shown in Figures 3 and 5 mounted on frame member 8. This shaftis driven in clockwise direction Cam I20 (see Fig. 5) actuates lever I25which 5 is pivotally connected with pull rod 43 which actuates grippers35 and 22 as above explained. Lever I25 is pivoted on block I26 mountedon a frame member and has a roller follower I21 which engages theperiphery of disk I23 and is held toward the same by the pull of springs44 and 46. Cam I20 has a long concentric surface or dwell ofapproximately 280 and a relatively short concentric surface ofabout 60connected by a short quick rise and fall as seen in Figure 5.

ing cigars in position in alignment with the knurling tools 36 and 21.As cam roller I 27 rides up on surface a, lever I is moved to the rightpulling link 43 in the same direction and rocking shafts 38 and 24,respectively, clockwise and counterclockwise to raise arms 3? and 23 and25 move grippers and 22 out of gripping position to release the cigarsheld thereby and allow the finished cigar to roll down skids 28 onto thetray 41 and a cigar from the first knurling position to roll onto theskids to be pushed into po-- 3'0 sition for gripping at the secondknurling position, the grippers remaining in open position during thetravel of roller I2! on the long concentric surface of the cam I 25.coincidentally with the start of the movement of lever I25 to 35 raisegrippers 35 and 22 out of gripping position, oscillating rack-bar 4through pinplate 2i in its upward stroke engages lever IT to move arm I3and fingers I2 down so that these fingers will recede below apron 2 toallow the cigar at the first knurling position to roll onto the apronand from the apron onto skids 28 as above explained. During thecontinued dwell of roller I27 on the long concentricsurface of cam I25rack-bar I will start on its downward stroke allowing lever I! to recededue to the pull of its spring I8 thereby returning fingers I2 to thereceiving position of Figure 5 in readiness to catch the next cigar fromthe re-rolling operation. Also during this period rack-bar '4 will makeseveral its upper edge permits the cigar to pass over said shortoscillations (without engaging lever II) for the re-rolling of a cigar,and as roller I2? is about to roll down surface I) of cam I 26, rackbar4 will make its long downward stroke to impart a longer roll to thecigar being re-rolled so as to carry it beyond the point of engagementbetween the apron and cylinder and thereby allow the cigar to roll downthe apron to be caught by fingers I2 at which time cam roller I2? ridesdown cam surface b and grippers 35 and 22 are brought down into grippingposition. As roller I2'I rides down on cam surface I) and grippers 35and 22 move toward the gripping position through the. action of springs5 and 5.5, and

simultaneously with the feed of a cigar from the 5 re-rolling operationto the first knurling posi-- tion, the cigar previously released byfingers I2 from the first knurling operation which comes to rest at theangle formed by the skids and apron intermediate the two knurlingpositions, will be lever I 28 pivoted at I 29 in a bearing'secured to aframe member and located behind bearing I I9,

Figure 5. Lever I28 has a rod I35 fixed in a hub at the upper end andprojecting horizontally therefrom, and on this rodpush-rods 3| arehinged. Each push-rod SI is made in two sections joined by two clampingscrews passing through a slot in one section as seen at I3I in Figure 5to permit adjustment of the rods for length and uniform engagement of acigar by both rods. Lever I28 has a roller follower I32 for engaging theperiphery of cam plate I2I and is held in contact therewith by a springwhich to avoid confusion in the drawings has been omitted. Cam I2!comprises along concentric surface or dwell of approximately 250, a slowforward drive cam surface 0 and a quick return surface d. In theposition shown in Figure 5, cam lever I28 is at the limit of its returnstroke with roller I32 at the beginning of the concentric surface. Asthe cam rotates clockwise from the position shown in Figure 5, rollerI32 will ride on the concentric surface, and hence push rods 3I will beheld stationary at the position shown in Figure 5, and when roller I32is engaged by cam surface 0 the roller will ride outward and cause leverI28 to swing forward, that is, to the left as viewed in Figure 5, andpush the rods 3! forward on skids 28 to a point near the curve 30 toroll a cigar over the edge into the seat 33 to meet gripper 35 as it ismoving into gripping position. It will be noted by reference to Figure 5that cam I2I will rotate approximately 250 before the push rods 3i beginto operate, and that during that period the inclined portion a of camI20 will have rocked the lever I25 to open the grippers 35 and 22 torelease the cigars held thereby. The forward movement of the push-rods3i will bring the cigar over the upper edge of the curve or bend of seat30 after gripper 35 has started toward gripping position and has reacheda position wherein, while its upper longitudinal edge is spacedsuiiiciently from the curve of seat 39 to permit the cigar to passthrough the gap therebetween, the lower longitudinal edge of the gripperis sufliciently close to the lower part of seat 30' to prevent the cigarfrom rolling beyond said lower edge of the gripper. In other words, atthe time that the cigar is pushed over the upper curveof seat 35, thegripper is so positioned that curve and down into said seat, but thelower edge of the gripper prevents the cigar from rolling off said seat.Continued movement of the gripper brings it into the position shown inFigure 5, the push-rods 3| being meanwhile retracted toward their normal(Fig. 5) position as cam I2I continues its rotation.

Cam I22, see Figures 2 and 3, is a grooved cam having three cam surfaces6 which engage roller I33 journalled on a stud clamped at the end of armI34. This arm is secured on the end of rock-shaft I35 journalled inbearing At the oppositeend of shaft I35 is secured arm I37, which witharm I34 and rock-shaft I35 forms a crank as seen in Figure 3, and whichcrank is connected with hopper lever H5, Figure 4, by an adjustable linkI38. By this operative connection between cam I22 and lever H5, thehopper collector disk I03 is rotated intermittently through ratchet andpawl I I' l-I I'I three notches to each complete revolution of cam I22.

Lever II5 has pivotally connected to its outer end a rod I39 whichslides in block I40 (Fig. 2) pivoted at the end of lever I II. On rod I39 at its free end is a collar I42 adjustably secured to the red by aset screw and which collar engages block I48 to positively draw thelever MI in one direction. Lever MI is pivoted at I43 on the frame plate92, and pivoted to the other end of this leveris a slide block I44 whichslides in a slot in block 90 to which feed rod 88 is attached as aboveexplained. Sleeved on rod I39 is a compression spring I45 which isseated between adjustable stop I46 and pivoted block I'40 so thatmovement of lever I4I to effect the forward feed movement of rod 88 isobtained through compression spring I45. Rod 88 feeds one paper tube 94at a time in the tube slot as it is discharged from the hopper 95, andalso the line of tubes as seen in Figure 2, until the first tube in theline abuts against shoulder 66 (Fig. the tubes being held in alignmentbetween the walls of the feed slot and plates 99 and 98. The tension ofspring I45 is sufficient to impart the necessary motion to lever I4I tofeed the light paper tubes, but when the tube slot is full and feed rod88 cannot be further advanced, the pressure of rod I69 will be taken upby the compression of spring I45 and the rod will slide through itsbearing block I40. The return movement of lever I4I for the feed strokeof rod 88 is made by the engagement of collar I42 with bearing blockI40. Thus for each feed step of collector plate I03 lever I4I imparts afeed stroke to rod 88 regardless of whether or not a tube has beendischarged from the hopper.

Cam I23, Figures 2 and 5, controls the crossfeed of paper tubes 94 fromthe feed slot in block 65 to the feed slot in slide 64 by means ofblade:

I6I. Blade I'lll is attached to a slide I41 which reciprocates on railI48 secured tobracket I49 projecting from frame plate 92. Slide I4! isactuated by lever I50 which has a pin working in a vertical slot in theslide as seen in Figure 5,

and lever I50 is secured on rock-shaft I5I which works in bearings in apair of brackets I49. Shaft l5I passes through one of the brackets I49and on the opposite end a lever I52 is secured and to which is pivotedan adjustable link I53..

This link is pivotally connected to lever I54 which is pivoted at I55 onbearing H9. Lever I54 has a roller follower I56 which contacts theperiphery of cam plate I23 and is held in contact therewith by a springI5! connected between a pin.

projecting from frame member 8 and a pin projecting from the hub oflever I54. Cam I23 has a long concentric surface or dwell ofapproximately 210 which holds lever I54 in its forward position, theposition shown in Figure 5, against the pull of its spring I51, andthrough link I53 and levers I52 and I50 holds slide I41 and blade Illlin the retracted position inre'adiness for the cross-feed of a papertube 94. As roller I56 rides in on cam surface 1, lever I54, through thepull of spring i51, draws link I53 and lever I52 rearward, that is, tothe right as viewed in Figure 5,'

moving lever I forward and shifting slide I41 and blade I'6I forward totransfer a tube 9 4 from the feed slot position under spring blade I00to the feed slot in slide 64 in position to be engaged by the piercingneedle and feed tube as above explained, the limit of the forward ortransfer shift of blade lill being reached when roller I56 rides ontothe low point g of the cam surface 1 which has a dwell of about 100. Thepurpose of this dwell is to hold transfer blade IOI in the forwardposition, and thereby to hold a tube 94 in alignment with the piercingneedle 'II as seen in to enter the tube. The roller I56 then ridesoutward on cam surface h moving lever I54 to retract slide I4'I andblade IN, and, when the roller rides onto the long concentric dwell,blade IOI will be held in the full retracted position of Figure 5 duringwhich time the operations above described in connection with Figures '7to 10 take place.

Cam I24, Figures 2 and 3, controls the movements of gate I06 and ejectorI08. As above explained the gate and ejector are actuated by lever IIIsecured on rock-shaft II2 which is journalled in brackets I49. On theshaft H2 is clamped a lever I58 to which is pivoted adjustable link I59pivotally connected to lever I60 which is pivoted at I6I on cam-shaftbearing II9. Lever I60 has a roller follower I62 which is held incontact with the periphery of cam plate I24 by a spring (not shown)connected to lever I60. Cam plate I24, as seen in Figure 3, has threeidentical sets of cam surfaces for successively actuating lever I60three times for each revolution of the cam plate, the three actuationscorresponding to and being performed in timed relation with the threeactuations of the hopper collector plate I63 for each revolution of thehopper control cam I22. That is, during each interval of rest ofcollector plate I03 (at which time a tube is or may be held in thedischarge slot I05 by gate I06) one of the sets of cam surfaces of camplate I24 actuate lever I60 to effect the movements of gate I06 andejector I08 as above explained. Each set of cam surfaces on cam plateI24 comprises a high concentric surface m of approximately 30, lowconcentric surface n of approximately 30, connecting cam surface 0between m and n of approximately 10", and cam surface 11 ofapproximately 50. In the position shown in Figure 3, a cam surface 27has completed the active or ejector stroke of the levers, and gate I06is partly closed (enough to insure catching a tube 94 deposited by thecollector plate into discharge slot I05) and as roller I62 continues toride up on cam surface 21, lever I60 will continue moving forward toraise ejector I08 slightly higher to allow pin I01 to enter slot I06 inthe gate and permit the gate to completely close discharge slot I05. Asthe, roller I62 rides on the high concentric surface m the ejector willremain stationary and the gate fully closed. As the roller rides down oncam surface 0 the ejector movement starts, without, however, opening thegate, that is, to approximately the position shown in Figure 3 (thepurpose of which will be later explained) and then the roller rides onlow concentric surface 11 and holds the levers and connected parts for ashort interval in approximately the position shown in Figure 3. Whenroller I62 r1des down cam surface 1) the ejector movement is completedby a rapid inward movement of lever I62 to the limit as the rollercontacts the curved part of cam surface 10, and as roller I62 starts toride up on the straight part of cam surface I the ejector mechanismreturns to the position shown in Figure 3.,

During this movement of cam. I24 and 00- operating levers in theoperation'of the. gate and ejector, stop-lug I63, which forms part of'lever I58 and the clamp whereby the lever is spring (not shown)attached to a pin projecting from the pivot end of the lever which tendsto constantly draw the lever to the right from the position shown inFigure 2 to move pin I63 against stop I63 or under it as will bepresently explained. To lever I65 is pivotally connected a bar I61 whichprojects under the hopper and rests on tube feed lever MI to which it islinked by a headed pin I68 the shank of which works in slot I89. Pin IE8is free to move back and forth in slot I69 as lever I4I swings on itspivot to reciprocate the tube feed rod 83, and as lever I4I swings tothe right after having imparted the full feed stroke to rod 88 (theposition shown in Figure 2) rod IE! will follow lever I iI due to thepull of the spring connected to lever IE5 until pin I64 abuts againststop-lug I63. Under certain conditions, hereinafter pointed out, if lugIE3 is not in the path of movement of pin I64, lever I65 will movefurther until it abuts against stop I'Iii which is adjustably mounted onbracket I49. In this latter position of lever IE5 pin I64 will standunder stop-lug I53 and prevent the oscillation of rock-shaft H2 andinterrupt the ejector movement.

The purpose of control lever I65 is to insure i' the proper feed ofpaper tubes to the transfer position; to make certain that a tube willbe in position for cross-feed to the tube inserting position in slide64; and to prevent an oversupply of tubes at the discharge slot I65.

It may be noted more specifically that, upon the completion of thedownward stroke of the ejector, the arm H5 and rod I39 (Figs. 2 and 4)are actuated by cam I22 to rock the lever MI and shift the plunger 83 tothe left (Fig. 2)

The straight portion of the cam surface 13 thenacts upon roller I62 andlever I to restore the ejector I68 to its uppermost position.

After the plunger 83 has completed the forward feeding movement of theejected tube the cam I22 actuates rod I38 to feed the hopper plate IE3one step and concurrently to restore the plunger 88 to the right, intoits retracted position. During the retraction of said plunger, the leverI is swung by its spring so that its pin I64 moves to the right, butbefore said pin can pass under the stop lug I63, the next cam surface 0of cam I24 comes opposite roller I62, and.- the ejector I03 dropsslightly into the position shown in Figure 3, at which time the lug I63has dropped sufiiciently to come into the path of pin IM and thus blockfurther movement of the latter to the right. Thenwhen sur face 11 of camI24 passes out of engagement with roller I52, and the curved surface ofcam portion. 1) of said cam comes under said roller, the ejectorcompletes its downward movement and ejects another tube from slot Hi5,into position between the previously ejected tube and the plunger 88.

When the feed slot 66' is not full the foregoing action is repeated.When, however, said feed slot is full, and the arms 5 l5 and I39 areactuated by cam 122 in the direction for advancingthe plunger 88, theforward movement of the latter is blocked byitsengagement with the tubewhich has just been ejected from discharge slot 165 into feed slot 66'.The spring M5 on rod I3?! is now compressed and allows said rod to slidein its pivot block without imparting further movement to lever i4! andplunger 88. However, during said actuation of arms I 55 and H39 inplunger feeding direction, the straight portion of cam surface p on camlit engages roller E62 and raises the ejector m3 to its highestposition. Stop lug its is thereby also raised into its uppermostposition, so that the lever Hi5 can be swung by its spring sunicientlyto bring its pin 664 beneath said step lug I53, at which time furthermovement of said lever I 55 under the action of its spring is stopped byengagement with said lever with stop l'itl. It may be noted that whenthe advance of plunger 88 is blocked by a full line of tubes, as abovedescribed, pin I68 of lever I4! is positioned suffieiently to the rearof the forward end of slot iii?) to permit lever I to remain stationarywith the pin ltd under the stop lug I63.

With a full line of tubes in slot 3% as aforesaid, plunger 33 cannotfeed forwardly the tube last ejected from discharge slot It? until aftercrosshead iili has fed the foremost tube out of slot 65 and has beenretracted into its position shown in Figure 5. Then, in the nextactuation of arms H5 and tilt to advance the plunger 88, the latterfeeds the line of tubes forwardly. In this operation of said plunger,pin 5538 or" lever MI strikes the forward end of slot H59 in link It!and restores lever E55 into its left hand position shown in Figure 2,releasing the stop lug I63. Thereafter, as the operation continues,plunger 33 is retracted as previously described, and lever I55 is drawnto the right by its spring, but before pin Id ican come under stop lug153 the next cam surface 0 of cam i2 3 comes opposite roller M2 and lugH63 drops back into the path of said pin Hi l, freeing the ejectormechanism for operation to feed a tube through discharge slot Hi5 intoslot 65.

As above stated, the piercing of the cigar tip and insertion of a papertube M takes place while a cigar is held in position at the secondknurling tool 38, and during that operation no cross-feed or transfer ofpaper tubes from the feed slot in block 66 to the slot in slide 6:?takes place. But in order to insure a supply of tubes to the transferposition, the hopper feed acts three times to one transfer movement.This takes care of the occasional ure of pockets its to catch a tube fordelivery to the discharge slot m5. When the feeding of tubes into thedischarge slot N55 is constant and the feed slot in block 85 is fullwith a tube in position to be released by the gate, push rod 88, aspreviously noted, will abut the line of tubes and be arrested in itsforward movement and spring ME on'rod $39 will be compressed and allowthe rod to slide in its pivot block Hit Without impartin furthermovement to feed lever Mi. At such time lever It! would come to rest ata point further tothe right as viewed in Figure 2, i. e., the length ofa paper tube 9 and consequently rod It! will be free to slide on leverEdi a corresponding distance and permit lever M5 to move pin 56% understop-lug its. In that position of pin 56 3, as above stated, the turningof rock-shaft H2 will be arrested and prevent the operation of theejector. In such case, the tube carried in the pocket its which happensto be in alignment with the discharge slot I215 will not be released bythe gate and will be carried around the hopper by the collector plate.Thus jamming of paper tubes at the discharge slot of the hopper isavoided.

The timing of cam H24 is such that as the ejector stroke begins by theopening of gate I06, stop-lug 53 will have moved down into the path ofpin E64 and prevents lever I65 from moving the pin under the stop-lugand thereby permits rockshaft II2 to complete the full ejector stroke toplace a tube 96 in position in the feed slot 66' to be advanced bypush-rod 88. This insures the regular constant feed along the feed slot66' when tubes are regularly and constantly deposited in discharge slotE85 by the collector plate I03, if the feed slot is not already filled.When the pockets I04 of the collector plate happen to miss catching apaper tube in regular order, and therefore the discharge slot 35 wouldbe empty when the ejector passes down through that slot, the feed slot56 would not be full up to the discharge point at the hopper andconsequently push-rod 88 would make an idle stroke. It is for thispurpose that the hopper collector plate and the ejector mechanism areactuated three times in each revolution of the control cams I22 and I24during the single operation of the crossfeed blade it! and the piercingneedle and tube inserting mechanism for each revolution of their controlcams I23 and 83. This enables the hopper and ejector mechanism to catchup on the supply of paper tubes to the feed slot and permits push-rod 88to feed tubes forward to the transfer position.

The operation of the complete apparatus will be clear from the foregoingdescription of the re-rolling, knurling, re-knurling and paper tubeinserting mechanism and their functions, and

may be summarized as follows: The mechanism above described beingoperatively connected with a cigar forming machine of the usual type,such, for example, as a machine of the general type illustrated in thepatent to Tyberg, No. 1,134,246, dated April 6. 1915, or, as shown inthe patent to Rundell, No. 1,532,545, dated April 27, 1926, a cigarproduced by that machine is deposited upon the apron of the re-rollingmechanism, and since the re-rolling and knurling mechanism and the camshaft controlling the actuation of cigar feed, grippers and paper tubeinserting mechanisms are all driven in unison with the cigar formingmachine, all parts will begin operating simultaneously, and, as thefirst cigar is undergoing the re-rolling operation, the paper tubefeeding mechanism starts supplying tubes in readiness for feeding intoposition for insertion into the cigar; as they arrive at the re knurlingposition. When the re-rolling operation on the first cigar is completedthe cigar is delivered to the first gripping fingers for the firstknurling operation. During this time should the paper tube slot becomefilled before the first cigar reaches the tube inserting position, thefeeding of tubes into the feed slot will be skipped as above explained.When the first knurling operation is completed the cigar is passed alongto the second knurling and tube inserting position while the tubefeeding mechanism continues to operate. At that point the tube insertionand second knurling takes place simultaneously, and in the meantime asecond cigar has been delivered to the first knurllng position, and athird cigar is delivered for re-rolling. At this time four operationswill be under way, i. e., tube inserting, reknurling, first knurling andre-rolling. As the tube inserting and re-knurling operation is completedthe first cigar is discharged onto the receiving tray and the secondcigar advances to the second knurling position and this cycle ofoperations continues as long as the entire apparatus is in operation.

Means may be provided for piercing the head of the cigar as apreliminary to the insertion of. the needle H and tube 94 in the secondknurling position. The entry of the needle and tube may thereby befacilitated in cigar heads in which the filler is tightly compressed.This pre-piercing means, shown in Figures 12 and 13, may be associatedwith the first knurler 21 and may take the form of the piercingmechanism illustrated in my copending application, Serial No. 12,720,filed March 23, 1935. Thus, referring to Figures 12 and 13 of thedrawings of the present application, the knurler 21 is shown attached toa sleeve I12, sliding in the sleeve hub I13 of pulleys 50, 5i. Inbushings I14 within the sleeve I12 is mounted the piercing pin I 15,which thus is concentric with knurler 21. A collar I16 on sleeve hub I13retains said hub in position in the frame bearing portion I11 in whichit is journalled. A key I18 projects from hub I13 into a long keyway insleeve I12 whereby rotation of pulley 5D is transmitted to said sleeveI12 and knurler 21. Rotation of sleeve I12 is transmitted to pin I15through pin I19 which projects from sleeve I12 into an extended keywayin pin I15. It will be apparent from the foregoing description thatsleeve I12 and pin I15 can both move axially, independently of eachother. Pin I15 may be reciprocated by any suitable means, such as camoperated lever I30 which engages shifter collar IN on said pin, and isoperated to and from its rest position I (Fig. 12). Sleeve I12 isreciprocated by cam arm 55 previously mentioned, which is actuated toand from its rest position 55' (Fig. 12). As in my co-pendingapplication, No. 12,720, above referred to, the operation of lever I80and pin I15 is so timed with respect to the operation of sleeve I12 thatsaid pin I15 is caused to pierce the cigar head after the knurler 21engages said head, said pin I15 being withdrawn from the cigar headbefore knurler 21 is disengaged therefrom.

In the example illustrated in Fig. 12 the needle I15 is projected only aslight distance into the cigar head, and the needle H is projectedfurther into said head to the distance necessary for insertion of thetube. It will be clear that, if desired, the stroke of needle E15 may besuch as to carry the latter into the cigar head to the same extent asneedle 1I. It will be furthermore seen that needle I15 may be of.smaller diameter than needle 1|, so that the piercing of the cigar headmay be accomplished in stages producing both increased length anddiameter of the hole in the cigar head; or, if both of said needles beprojected the same distance into the head, the piercing stages maycorrespond simply to increasin diameters.

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms ofdescription and not ,of limitation, and- I have no intention, in the useof such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but recognize thatvarious modifications are possible within the scope of the inventionclaimed.

I claim:

1. The method of treating a cigar comprising inserting a piercingelement through a tube, introducing said tube andelement into the headof said cigar, withdrawing said piercing element from :said head, andknurling said "head during said withdrawal of said element.

2. The-processor treating the head of a cigar, comprising passing apiercing element through a tube, forcing the element and tube into thecigar head to depositthe tube therein, withdrawing saidelement,and'knurling'said head during said insertion and withdrawal ofsaid element.

3. In combination, means for knurling the head of a cigar, means forinserting a draft element through said knurling means and into saidhead, and means for withdrawing said inserting means while said draftelement is maintained in said head.

4. In combination, means for knurling the head of a cigar, puncturingmean-s, means for passing said puncturing means through the knurlingmeans and into said head, and means for feeding a tube into the path ofsaid puncturing means for travel therewith into said head.

5. In combination, means for supporting a cigar, means for puncturingthe head of said cigar while the latter is engaged with said supportingmeans, means for moving said puncturing means into and out of engagementwith said head, means for depositing a tube between said puncturingmeans andsaid head, and means for causing said tube to travel with saidpuncturing means into said head. 1

6. In combination, means for supporting a cigar, means for puncturingthe head of said cigar while the latter is engaged with said supportingmeans, means for moving said puncturing means into and out of engagementwith said head, means for depositing a tube between said puncturingmeans and said head, means for inserting said tube into said head, andmeans for operating said tube inserting means independently of saidpuncturing means.

'7. The process of inserting a tube into the head of a cigar, comprisingprojecting a puncturing element beyond an inserting element and into thetube, projecting both the puncturing element and the inserting elementto insert the puncturing element and tube into the cigar, retracting thepuncturing element from the tube and into saicl inserting element, andwithdrawing said puncturing and inserting elements to a position foracting upon a new tube.

8". In combination, means for supporting a cigar, puncturing means,tube-inserting means surrounding said puncturing means, means forfeeding a tube into a position between said puncturing and insertingmeans and said supporting means, and means for first projecting thepuncturing means through said tube, then projecting both the puncturingand the inserting means to carry the puncturing means and the tube into,the head of the cigar, then withdrawing the puncturin'g means from thetube and into the insert-' ing means, and then retracting the puncturingand inserting means to their initial position.

9. The process of treating a cigar comprising rerolling. the same, thenknurling the head of said cigar, and then concurrently knurling saidcigar head andinserting a tube into the same.

10. The process of treating a cigar comprising rerolling the sameandthereafter concurrently knurling the head of said cigar and insertinga tube into said head.

11. Cigar treating mechanism comprising rerollingmeans, means forknurling a cigar subsequent to the action of said rerolling meansthereon, and means cooperating with said knurling means for inserting'atube into the head of said cigar.

12. Theprocess of treating a cigar, comprising depositing a .tube in thecigar head after application'o'fjth'e wrapper thereto, and knurling saidhead after said tube has been deposited.

13. The process of treating a cigar comprising depositinga tube in thecigar head and knurling said-headduring the depositing 'of said tube.and after said tube has beendeposited.

14:. Cigar treating mechanism comprising rerolling means, means 'forknurling a cigar subsequent to' the action of the rerolling meansthereon, and means for'passing a tube along the axis of the knurlingmeans and into the head of the cigar.

15. The process of treating a cigar comprising projecting a puncturingelement beyond an inserting element and into a tube, projecting both thepuncturing element and the inserting element to insert 'the puncturingelement and tube into the cigar, retracting the puncturing element,maintaining the inserting element in engagement with the tube whileknurling the cigar head to compress the filler tobacco about the tube,and withdrawing the puncturing and inserting elements to a position foracting upon a new tube.

16. The process of treating a cigar comprising depositing a tube in thecigar head after application of the wrapper thereto, and knurling saidhead to compress the filler tobacco about the tube after the latter hasbeen deposited.

l7. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar supporting means, meansfor feeding cigars in succession to-said supporting means, draft elementinserting means, means for feeding draft elements in succession to saidinserting means, and means for actuating said inserting means to insertthe draftelements in succession into the heads of successive cigars onsaid supporting means.

18. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar sup-porting means, meansfor feeding cigars in succession to said supporting means, draft elementinserting means, means for feeding said elements rectilinearly insuccession toward said inserting means, and means for actuating saidinserting means to insert said' elements in succession into the heads ofsuccessive cigars on said supporting means.

19. Cigar treatingmechanism comprising cigar supporting means, means forfeeding cigars in succession to said supporting means, tube sup-:ply'means, means for feeding tubes in a given :path from said supplymeans toward said supporting means, means for feeding a tube trans-"versely of the first mentioned path into alignmentwith a cigar in saidsupporting means, and

means forwinserting an aligned tube into said cigar.

20. Cigartreating mechanism comprising cigar supporting means, draftelement supply means, means for ejecting draft elements successivelyfrom said supply means into a feed channel, means for feedingejecteddraft elements through said channel and toward said supporting means,means for inserting said elements into cigars in said supporting means,and means controlled by said feeding means for rendering said ejectingmeans ineffective when said channel is filled.

21. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar supporting means, draftelement supply means, means for ejecting draft elements successivelyfrom said supply means, means for feeding ejected draft elements throughsaid channel and toward said supporting means, means for inserting saidelements into cigar insaid supporting means, and interlocking meansbetween said feeding means and said ejecting means for controlling theefiectiveness of said ejecting means.

22. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar supporting means, meansfor feeding cigars in succession to said supporting means, means forpiercing the head of a cigar, means for feeding tubes in successiontoward said piercing means, means for projecting said piercing meansthrough a tube, and thence into the head of a cigar in said supportingmeans, and means for projecting said tube into said head concurrentlywith the passage of said piercing means into said head.

23. Cigar treating mechanism comprising knurling means, meanscooperating with said knurling means for piercing the head of a cigar, asecond knurling means, means for transferring said cigar from the firstto the second knurling meansand means cooperating with the second'knurling means for inserting a tube into the head of said cigar.

'24. Cigar t'reating mechanism comprising knurling means, meanscooperating with said knurling means for piercing the head of a cigar, asecond knurling means, meansfor transferring said cigar from the firstto the second knurling means, and means comprising a second piercingmeans cooperating with the second knurling meansfor' introducing a tubeinto the head of said cigar.

' 25. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar supporting means, meansfor piercing the head of a cigar in said supporting means, a secandsupporting means, means for transferring said cigar from the first tothe second supporting means, and means cooperating with the secondsupporting means for inserting a tube into the head of said cigar.

26.Cigar treating mechanism comprising means for piercing the head of acigar to a given extent, and means comprising other piercing means forpiercing said head to a further extent and introducing a tube into saidhead.

27. Cigar treating mechanism comprising rero lling means, means forreceiving a cigar from said rerolling means, means for knurling the headof the cigar in said receiving means, means for releasing said cigarfrom said receiving means, a second receiving means, means fortransferring said released cigar to said second receiving means, andmeans cooperating with said second receiving means for inserting a tubeinto the head of said cigar.

28. Cigar treating mechanism comprising means for supporting a cigar,means for successively feeding cigars to said supporting means,

tube supply means, means for ejecting tubes from said supply means,means for feeding ejected tubes'in a given path, means for insertingtubes into cigars in said supporting means, and means movabletransversely to said tube feed path for transferring tubes successivelyfrom said path to said inserting means.

29. Cigar treating mechanism comprising a support, means for feedingcigars successively' to said support, a source of tube supply, means forejecting tubes from said supply source, means for transferring tubessequentially from said source to said ejecting means, means foroperating said ejecting means, means for feeding siong a given pathtubes ejected by said ejecting means, means for inserting said tubesinto cigars in said support, and means for transferring tubes from saidpath to said inserting means.

30. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar feeding means, a source oftube supply, means for ejecting tubes from said source, said sourcecomprising means for receiving tubes and carrying the same sequentiallyto said ejecting means, means for feeding along a given path tubesejected by said ejecting means, means for inserting said tubes intocigars supplied by said feeding means, means for transferring tubes fromsaid path to said inserting means, and means for operating said tubereceiving means with greater frequency than said transferring means toinsure the provision of a tube for each cigar.

31. Cigar treating mechanism comprising a cigar support, means forfeeding cigars to said support, draft element supply means, means forejecting draft elements therefrom, means for inserting said elementsinto cigars in said support, and means for feeding ejected draftelements from said supply means to said inserting means.

32. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar feeding means, a tubesupply source, means for ejecting tubes from said source, said sourcecomprising movable means for conveying tubes successively to saidejecting means, means for inserting tubes into cigars supplied by saidfeeding means, and means for transferring tubes from said ejecting meansto said inserting means.

33. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar feeding means, a tubesupply source, means for ejecting tubes from said source, said sourcecomprising movable means for conveying tubes successively to saidejecting means, means for inserting tubes into cigars supplied by saidfeeding means, means for transferring tubesfrom said ejecting means tosaid inserting means, and means for operating said tube conveying meanswith greater frequency than said tube inserting means.

34. Cigar treating mechanism comprising cigar feeding means, 'a tubesupply source, means for ejecting tubes from said source, said sourcecomprising movable means for conveying tubes successively to saidejecting means, means for inserting tubes into cigars supplied by saidfeeding means, means for transferring tubes from said ejecting means tosaid inserting means, means for operating said tube conveying means withgreater frequency than said tube inserting means, and means forsuspendiing operation of said ejecting means in response to theaccumulation of a full line of tubes between said ejecting means andsaid inserting means.

35. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor feeding tubes longitudinally along a given path from said supplysource, and means for feeding tubes transversely from said path to saidinserting means.

36. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said source, means operable for intermittentlyconveying tubes successively to said ejecting means, and means operableduring intervals between successive operations of said conveying meansfor feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means.

3'7. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of draft elementsupply, means for inserting draft elements into cigars supplied by saidfeeding means, and means for transferring draft elements from saidsource to said inserting means.

38. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said source, means for feeding ejected tubestoward said inserting means, and means comprising a yieldable connectionfor operating said tube feeding means.

39. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said supply source, means operable at greaterfrequency than said inserting means for conveying tubes to said ejectingmeans, means for feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means, andmeans responsive to accumulation of a full line of tubes between saidejecting means and said inserting means for disabling said ejectingmeans.

40. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said supply source, means operable at greaterfrequency than said inserting means for conveying tubes to said ejectingmeans, means for feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means, andmeans controlled by said feeding means and responsive to accumulation ofa full line of tubes between said ejecting means and said insertingmeans for disabling said ejecting means.

41. In combination, cigar feeding means, a Source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said supply source, means operable at greaterfrequency than said inserting means for conveying tubes to said ejectingmeans, means for feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means, andmeans responsive to accumulation of a full line of tubes be tween saidejecting means and said inserting means for suspending action of saidfeeding means.

42. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said supply source, means operable at greaterfrequency than said inserting means for conveying tubes to said ejectingmeans, means for feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means, andmeans responsive to accumulation of a full line of tubes between saidejecting means and said inserting means for suspending action of saidfeeding and ejecting means.

43. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said source, means operable at higher frequencythan said inserting means for conveying tubes to said ejecting means,means for feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means, yieldablemeans for operating said tube feeding'means, and stop means controlledby said feeding means, said stop means being constructed and arranged toblock operation of said ejecting means when feeding of tubes by saidfeeding means is obstructed.

44. In combination, cigar feeding means, a source of tube supply, meansfor inserting tubes into cigars supplied by said feeding means, meansfor ejecting tubes from said tube supply source, said tube supply sourcecomprising a hopper and a plate therein having means for receivingtubes, means for actuating said plate step by step to bring tubessuccessively to said ejecting means, means for operating said ejectingmeans, and means for feeding ejected tubes toward said inserting means.

45., In combination, cigar feeding means, a tube supply sourcelcomprising a hopper, a plate rotatably mounted in said hopper andprovided with tube-receiving recesses, means for ejecting tubes fromsaid hopper, means for intermittently rotating said plate to conveytubes successively to said ejecting means, means for feeding ejectedtubes, and means for inserting said tubes into cigars supplied by saidcigar feeding means.

46. In combination, cigar feeding means, a tube supply source comprisinga hopper, a plate rotatably mounted in said hopper on an inclined wallthereof, for rotation about an axis inclined to the vertical andprovided with tube-receiving recesses, means for ejecting tubes fromsaid hopper, means for intermittently rotating said plate to conveytubes successively to said ejecting means, means for feeding ejectedtubes, and means for inserting said tubes into cigars supplied by saidcigar feeding means.

47. In combination with a cigar machine comprising rerolling means andmeans for receiving a cigar from said rerolling means and knurling thesame, means for receiving a cigar from the first mentioned receivingmeans, and means adjacent the second receiving means for inserting atube into the cigar held thereby, cotemporaneously with the rerolling ofa cigar by the rerolling means and the knurling of a cigar in the firstreceiving means.

48. In combination with a cigar machine comprising rerolling means andmeans for receiving a cigar from said rerolling means and knurling thesame, means for receiving a cigar from the first mentioned receivingmeans, and reknurling said cigar, and means adjacent the secondreceiving means for inserting a tube into the cigar held thereby,cotemporaneously with theflrerolling of a cigar by the rerolling meansand the knurling of a cigar in the first receiving means.

49. The method of treating a cigar which comprises first rerolling thesame, then knurling said cigar, and then inserting a tube into the headof said cigar and reknurling the same.

50. The process of treating the head of a cigar, comprising knurlingsaid head and concurrently depositing a tube therein.

51. In apparatus for inserting tubes into cigars, a tube supply source,means for ejecting tubes successively from said source, means forfeeding ejected tubes, and operating means for said ejecting and feedingmeans, said operating means being so constructed and arranged as tocause an ejected tube to be fed forwardly a predetermined distance whilethe ejecting means dwells in its ejecting position.

SIGURD CLAUSEN.

